OSMIUM-10

4/21/2020

Osmium is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mostly in platinum ores. Osmium is the densest naturally occurring element. Manufacturers use its alloys with platinum, iridium, and other platinum-group metals in applications that require extreme durability and hardness. The element's abundance in the Earth's crust is among the rarest.

Osmium-10 is structurally the same but has a density exponentially higher than the Osmium found on earth. It must be separated from the platinum it is usually embedded in using combination of acid and alkali treatments. It smells like burnt rain. Although it is recognized as a new metal, it is similar to Earth’s Osmium, it is a shiny, silver metal that resists corrosion, it is rare and difficult to work with.

The metal is not toxic, but its oxide is volatile and very toxic.